I, too, hit by disaster, my restaurant makes just Rs 50 a day, says Kangana

Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut, who has been facing flak over her continued absence from disaster-affected areas, was today was greeted with black flags and ‘go back’ slogans as she arrived at Naggar in Manali.

Kangana, accompanied by former minister Govind Singh Thakur, was shown black flags by Youth Congress activists, who questioned her arrival 24 days after the flood disaster. She faced tough questions from locals as well as mediapersons regarding her absence while people suffered massive losses due to unprecedented heavy rain.

“I am also a single woman, so do not target me personally. I, too, have been affected by the disaster. I own a restaurant here where the sales are mere Rs 50 a day while I pay Rs 15 lakh monthly salaries to the staff,” she retorted when questioned by mediapersons on her absence from her constituency. Videos of Kangana’s remarks went viral on social media inviting sharp criticism.

“I am not the Queen of England that I can do everything,” she hit back. Kangana has been criticised for being insensitive to public plight even in the past. She hails from Bhambla village in Mandi district and had built a house in Manali a few years ago and set up a high-end restaurant in the town earlier this year.

Kangana claimed that the Central Government had allocated Rs 10,000-crore help to Himachal Pradesh. “The aim of my visit is to assess how the state government is utilising these funds,” she said. She had on several occasions accused the Himachal Government of misusing funds given by the Central Government.

The unprecedented heavy rainfall, which has left hundreds of people homeless and destroyed crops, has resulted in a lot of anger among people over the relief and restoration work. While a political slugfest between the Congress and the BJP continues, people are demanding relief and restoration so that they can build and repair their damaged houses before the onset of the winter.